Allentown, Pennsylvania -- A federal jury cleared three small-town police
officers Wednesday of allegations that they violated a teen's constitutional right to
privacy by threatening to disclose that the teen was gay, causing him to
commit suicide.

The American Civil Liberties Union and volunteer attorney David Rudovsky
represented Madonna Sterling, the teen's mother, in the federal lawsuit and
called the verdict a "heartbreaking injustice" in a statement released
from James Esseks, Litigation Director of the ACLU's Lesbian & Gay
Rights Project, which follows:

"More than four years ago, these officers threatened to tell Marcus Wayman's
family that he was gay. He was released by the police at around midnight.
Sometime before 6 a.m., he put a revolver to his face and fired. He missed,
and fired again, killing himself.

"In the suicide note read in court this week, he said, 'I'm sorry grandpa, I
found my future ... I won't let everyone's life be ruined by mine.'

"We will never know what would have become of Marcus Wayman. We can never
begin to understand his mother's grief. Somehow, she found the
extraordinary courage to come forward to hold these officers accountable.

"A year ago this week, Mrs. Sterling's lawsuit secured a landmark appeals
court decision on the right to privacy for lesbians and gay men. That new
precedent is already helping countless teens nationwide, and it will
continue to. This week, we sought justice for Mrs. Sterling and her son.

"Tonight the officers were cleared of all charges. This is a heartbreaking
injustice. Public officials have a duty to protect and serve everyone,
including lesbians and gay men. Rather than 'first do no harm,' these
officers directly contributed to a young man's death.

"Sometimes we win cases; sometimes we don't. Rarely is the pain of losing
as profound as it is tonight. We grieve all over again for Marcus Wayman,
for his mother and for gay people across America.

"For so many people who share in this loss and wonder what can be done: Get
involved to help gay youth. Volunteer with an LGBT youth group. Give your
skills, your time or your money to groups that help families and youth
understand sexual orientation. Help get schools, police stations and others
to conduct training on handling anti-gay harassment. Let that, not a
misguided jury verdict, be the legacy of this family."